Nobody jumped in to volunteer at first. We all stared at our plates for almost a minute, then finally, Arvallei said, “Fine! Here goes...”

A few seconds passed...then for just a moment, Arvallei’s body was enveloped in a warm glow. “I don’t believe it,” he said, “I got the Racial Evolution effect!”

Anna immediately looked defensive. “I’m not letting go of my own Major Evolution just so you can get one, you know!”

Arvallei shook his head. “Not at all, I’m very happy with this. I’ll just do my best to find something in Area 2, or higher if need be.”

“You do realize though,” I said, with perhaps something of a misread of the room, “this means your dibs has expired.”

“I was never being serious about that! Look, there’s nothing to fight over, okay? I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too...I wasn’t trying to start anything, I just—sorry.”

“I overreacted too,” said Anna, “I think I’d better go next and get it over with.”

She ate her slice, but this time there was no visual indication of what she received. “Well?” said Bruzigan.

“Plus 0.5 Effective Rating for the next five Individual Floor Mission rewards I receive.” Hearing that, I would have thought she’d be disappointed, but her tone was one of determined, restrained excitement.

“All right,” I said, “I caused a little trouble too, so it’s only fair I go now.” I started in on my own slice, taking a total of three bites to get it all down. It had a metallic undertone that made it very delicious in a unique way.

I didn’t feel any different, but a Tower notification appeared to me:

[New Personal Trait: Herlisian Vigor]

Your Stamina Pool is doubled.

“Ohohohoho!”

“You got a good one, Lhet?” said Mewi.

“Well, it’s actually not one of the better ones objectively, but of all the less amazing ones it’s the one that’s like the most perfect for me—the Stamina doubler.”

“Wait, why is that perfect for you?” said Ri’legh.

“Because of that thing, you know...that.”

“Oh...so it involves Stamina then?” said Bruzigan.

I nodded. “I’d say more, but...you know.”

“I see. Well, I can’t take it any longer! I can’t believe I’m the only one more excited than nervous about this.” And Bruzigan ate his slice in a single bite. I could swear he barely even chewed it.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

When he saw his notification, he roared triumphantly. “Plus ten percent All Attributes!”

I groaned, and so did Ri’legh and Arvallei. “Seriously? That hardly even seems fair!”

Bruzigan laughed. “Don’t hate me ‘cause I’m strong, team!”

“I have to admit, we could hardly have gotten a more optimal use of that one,” I said. Now only Mewi and Ri’legh’s slices were left.

Or rather, only Ri’legh’s slice was left. Mewi had apparently snuck his while we were in an uproar over Bruzigan’s lucky pull. He wasn’t saying anything—but I noticed tears on his cheeks. “I can’t believe I actually got it,” he said, so softly that it hushed the others, to better hear what he’d say next, “I got the extra life!”

Arvallei’s eyes widened in realization. “That right, you died in your first Tutorial attempt, didn’t you?”

Mewi nodded. “I was really, really hoping for this effect as soon as Bruzigan mentioned it. But I knew it was only a 1 in 20 chance, so I was really nervous, trying to convince myself getting something else wouldn’t be a big deal...”

“Well, congratulations,” said Arvallei, and his tone held the first genuine warmth I’d ever heard in it. He’d been helping Mewi a lot with training lately, and it appeared that he’d bonded with him over that a lot like he’d done with me over our sessions to do with the 4th Floor.

Now, everyone looked at Ri’legh. “All right,” he said, taking two bites to eat the last slice on the table. Once he did, he looked rather like he didn’t know how to react. “It says +500 years Lifespan...”

“Woah!” I was echoed by someone else, I couldn’t really tell who.

“Wow, these were some really good results,” said Mewi.

“You said it,” said Bruzigan, “this went better than I expected.” He stood up. “But, the vacation’s over now. Our fleets need us.”

And so they did. Anna approached liberation missions with astonishing zeal, to the point that even without constant training, I quickly found myself looking forward to the next trip to the 7th Floor for how relaxed it would be by comparison—that was how hard I had to work to keep up with her. As hard as I was going at it, she was working even harder, taking on as many public gigs as Mewi.

From some of her interviews, I thought I was starting to grasp her plan a bit. She was clearly advancing a narrative that, though her origins lay with the Federation’s aristocracy, participating in the Liberation Fleet project had been a life-changing experience for her, one that had taught her to be kind to the common people. This had met with rather great success, endearing her to people rather similarly to Mewi, and I did have a feeling that her attitude toward the poor was not entirely, or perhaps not even mostly an act.

I had sort of expected by now that I’d be unpopular by comparison, but I was attracting an only slightly smaller fanbase of a different sort. Annoyingly, a great many of them were battle maniacs, the kind of people who would give up limbs to have me accept a duel challenge from them, or get combat advice from me or something.

However, there were plenty who, apparently, “respected Inferno for his no-nonsense, get it done attitude,” that I was dedicated to the task over how I looked to others or what they thought of me. Those sorts, I told General Karl to instruct whatever team of publicists was putting together my schedule to be more accommodating toward.

Anna’s narrative, her getting extremely popular with droves of people in Area 1, was one clue. Another was how eager she was to be the second to restore a Sanctuary. That would gain her the gratitude of not just the common people, but the Federation government. I wasn’t so sure that such external pressure to free her would work on Clatenis, so I figured there was more to it than that that I wasn’t quite grasping yet.

Over the next two months, Anna gained her “minor” evolution on the 7th Floor and Federation ships trickled into the Zone we operated in more or less continuously. Upon exiting the floor for the 8th time, a Federation messenger flagged down the team.

“I have a message for the Liberation Fleet team,” they said, once we were somewhere we wouldn’t be easily overheard, “it concerns Anna and Lheticus in particular, but it’s something the entire team should hear. Marshal Varstithon wishes to inform you that the main force of what will become the Sanctuary Liberation Armada is currently en route to integrate your two Liberation Fleets into the armada for the remaining duration of the mission. At their rate of travel, they will arrive in three days.”